TONTITOWN (KFSM) — The Tontitown City Council has settled a lawsuit brought on by a former police chief after he was terminated in January 2015.
During a special meeting on Wednesday (Dec. 21), the council agreed to pay Kris Arthur, now a captain at the Centerton Police Department, $15,000 as part of the settlement.
The Arkansas Municipal League will also pay Arthur $15,000, according to Justin Eichmann, city attorney for Tontitown.
“In the end, the mayor, he or she, has to decide what’s best for the city of Tontitown,” Eichmann said. “The mayor in this decision, along with the city council, said that it’s best for this time to resolve [the suit], for as little money as possible.”
Arthur sued the Tontitown City Council and Mayor Paul Colvin in March 2015, claiming that the city violated the Law Enforcement Officer Bill of Rights and that the mayor and the city council ratified Arthur’s wrongful termination.
The lawsuit alleged several other violations by both the council and mayor.
“Everyone is relieved to have this passed and this was legacy that passed that’s now concluded,” Eichmann said. “I think they’re ready for 2017.”
